Sword of the Godslayer

II - The Redhead

The sun did not appear to have moved at all by the time Minos and his company arrived at the mouth of the village. The silent huts and empty streets welcomed them as they passed by amd Minos figured most of the village-folk were still busy working in the fields at that hour. One of the huts opened its window, catching his attention and a villager took a peek and waved at Ashvell. The driver waved back.

     "So this is it, this is my spot." Ashvell said as he pulled the horse to a stop.

     "Thank you," trilled Minos again. He rubbed the young boy's head one more time before jumping off the wagon as Rei followed behind. Ashvell stepped down from the driver seat to strap his horse on a dead tree, Minos walked up to him, looked around, and spoke in a whisper. "What happened earlier, you felt that, right?"

     "Oh.." Ashvell's eyes already betrayed an answer before he can even finish speaking, "yeah, uhm..." He glanced at Robb who was busy preparing the merchandise they were going to sell that afternoon. "Robb has a talent for magic. I think he got it from his parents."

     "Did you see his parents do magic?" Minos inquired.

     "Not really, they're kind of a recluse, both of them. Rumor around town is that they're runaway sorcerers from The Tower, and they're in-hiding, hence why they chose to live outside the village."

     "Then three years ago, they just disappeared?"

     "Yeah, no one has seen them since then."

     "So who's with the boy now?"

     "Nobody. He lives alone. He comes by to our place every now and then to have dinner with me and Pops, but that's it."

     "He's all alone? Why don't you just take him in?"

     "We offered, but the boy declined. He's still hoping his parents will return one day and he wants to be in their home when they do."

     Minos nodded then tapped Ashvell on his shoulder before thanking him for the ride. He walked back towards Rei while keeping his eyes glued at Robb. The foreigner handed him the reins of his palfrey and they stepped into the main road. The little boy peeled his eyes up and met Minos' stare.

     "Bye Minos! Bye Rei." Waved the boy.

     "Oh, I believe we'll see each other again." Minos waved back.

     "And thanks again for the book, I promise I'll read it."

     Minos and Rei started walking down the road, tugging their horses behind. "That kid can do magic," Minos said to his companion. The masked foreigner tilted his head at Minos. "What? I'm just saying... you know... a kid who can do magic, in a village in the middle of nowhere. What are the odds, right? Come on." Minos looked at his companion, still hoping this time he'll be intrigued enough to offer a response.

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     After a few minutes of walking the pair finally arrived at the square, right smack at the center of the village. He looked around and found the Kingspost on a corner. He stood in front of the life-size statue of the King, which was spread across the kingdom, some made in granite, others in marble. It was a sign that the place was under King Domitius' authority. He studied the effigy for a moment before commenting, "Oh hey, this one looks like him. They even got the nose right. He's missing an ear though."

     Minos felt Rei's glare right from under his headdress. "Fine, fine, let's move on. Eirene's sake... always in a hurry. We're already here, look," he pointed towards the tallest structure in the village, a two-story inn and tavern standing at the western side of the square. In front of it, above the door hanged the sign that read HIDDEN SCABBARD. "See? Come on." Minos hurried off towards the building.